A SPORT COMPACT is a high-performance version of a compact car or a
subcompact car . According to
Motor TrendMotor Trend in a comparison entitled
"Small, Fast, Fun", the sports compact car has to accomplish the
multiple duties of a "family car" and a "daily driver" - thus having
more than two doors and seating at least four passengers - while also
being "fun to drive" on all roads and in town.

There is no precise definition and the description is applied for
marketing purposes to a wide variety of models, but typical "sport
compacts" are front engined , front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
coupés, sedans, or hatchbacks driven by a straight-4 gasoline engine
. In most cases, they are versions of mass-market cars that are
factory produced with additional features and upgrades.
Performance-oriented sport compacts generally focus on improving
handling and increasing performance by engine efficiency, rather than
increasing engine size. Sport compacts often feature external body
modifications to improve aerodynamics or house larger wheels.

"Econosport" is a rarely used term for a sport version of a small
economy car.

European manufacturers have long offered multiple high-performance
compacts in Europe and many of these are imported to North America.
These are called hot hatches or warm hatches depending on engine power
as they are available as hatchbacks . They include the VW Golf GTI
(which was first announced in 1975), Volkswagen R32 and
MiniMini Cooper .

This section DOES NOT CITE ANY SOURCES . Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material
may be challenged and removed . (March 2017) (Learn how and when to
remove this template message )

After-marker modifications or customization is commonly referred to
as tuning. This has given rise to the term "tuner" for the owners of
modified sport compacts (and other vehicle classes), and by extension,
their automobiles. As with trucks and other vehicle categories, there
is a large market for performance-enhancing equipment designed to fit
small cars. "Tuning" is also symbolized by cosmetic and
non-performance related vehicle modifications. It is the subject of
some controversy whether to recognize a compact "tuner" car that has
been modified to offer lesser vehicle performance than a "sport
compact".

Cosmetic tuning may include changing the interior (such as changing
the shift knob and steering wheel as an example) and exterior
decoration, installation of a
DVDDVD combined with a powerful sound
system, adding neon headlights and other aftermarket lighting systems
to name but a few. Performance tuning can include the modification of
the car's aerodynamics , adding a nitrous oxide injection system,
changing wheels and tires, chip tuning , installation of a weighted
gear knob and a short shifter , changing filters and so on.

Restoration of a Japanese import to its JDM specifications (or
J-Spec) is one example of modification for tuners in North America. It
is quite common for Japanese automakers to produce or export less
powerful versions of their models to the North American market. The
common exception to this is the 1993-1998 Toyota Supra which received
a more powerful engine for US export due to the "Gentleman's
Agreement" in Japan. Such modifications usually involve swapping
engines and transmissions. Popular examples include the conversion of
parts from a JDM Silvia onto a USDM
NissanNissan 240SX , or replacing JDM
HondaHonda parts and equipment (such as from a Civic Type-R ) onto a United
States domestic market USDM
HondaHonda Civic . Most Hondas are particularly
good examples of this because of the cost saving "parts bin" designing
used at Honda. To save production costs many high-end production
equipment use the same or similar mounting locations as a cheaper or
lower-performance alternative. These modifications can also be
cosmetic, such as the replacement of the front fascia or rear spoiler
with its JDM counterpart.

Small cars with high power ratings can be formidable racing vehicles.
The
Sports Car Club of America has long hosted races for compact cars.
More recently, sport compacts have become so popular that the
Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) (www.andra.com.au)
now have special classes for sport compact racing, and the National
Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has made sport compact cars eligible to
compete in the Lucas Oil Sportsman Series, and Sport Compact "Pro RWD"
type cars are used in the NHRA
Pro Stock category as the Chevrolet
Cobalt is used as the manufacturer's car in the class. All these
classes are officially sanctioned by ANDRA and are recognised through
a series of successful events and National Records.

Some highly modified sport compact dragsters can accelerate from 0-60
mph in less than four seconds.

Sport compacts are fairly popular for autocross competitions. The
Acura Integra ,
Toyota CelicaToyota Celica , and MINI Cooper are some of the more
successful sport compacts within their classes.

Sport compactSport compact cars have been the backbone of the latest motorsport
discipline to emerge - drifting - since its beginnings.

The former NASCAR Goody's DASH Series found new life in 2005 when
acquisitioned by INTERNATIONAL SPORT COMPACT AUTO RACING SERIES
(ISCARS) DASH TOURING, which tours primarily on asphalt ovals
throughout the southeast. In 2008 the series accepted the sanction of
American Speed Association (ASA). The
TC 2000 Championship is one of
the touring car racing series which involves sport compacts.

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sport_compact additional
terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy .® is a registered trademark of the
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. , a non-profit organization.